Knee braces that restrict extension?

Well, 14 miles of hills-ala-Lookout Mountain left me with a knee on vacation; there I was trying to relax with a nice game of volley-ball, and what do you know (not much, you?) the little gimp wants to bend the other way, like a bird. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t mind being more bird like, but this is a bit painfull, and cramps my spike style.

I moseyed down to the market and procured a bandage to wrap the joint with; at first I thought it was doing absolutely nothing of merit- until I removed the coil after 14 hours or so: the wrap was keeping the leg from casually hyper-extending.

So, here I am with a slow heal leg. No cycling, no V-Ball, swimming only with my arms and being as gentle as possible on landing. I’m wondering what’s available to prevent full extension of the leg while cycling, so that I can crunch up-n-down hills without killing me knee joint. Anybody ride with a brace?

I’m not sure what could be done as far as technique- the saddle wasn’t too high on the Coker… perhaps shorter cranks would cause less extreme oscillations at speed and reducing twisting of the joint, but how would the change in leverage effect the pressure on the knee? Hummm…
Ideas?

-Christopher

I don’t know if this is one of the answers you’re looking for, but I screwed up my knee a couple of years ago, and the doctor told me that the muscles used to keep the kneecap in place got fatigued, and so while continuing to walk (yes, I was walking at the time) on my weakened legs, my kneecap began to rub on the cartilage and mess things up. I’m getting a brake on my unicycle for that reason. I want to keep my knees from becoming fatigued again on the downhills. Hopefully that will prevent future injuries.

Thank you Paco: you have given me justification to spend a half grand+ on a pimp Coker. :slight_smile:

-C

Chris,

The last time you hurt yourself that bad you took a break from hang gliding also. Was your recent stint of no-flying too recent to bear doing it again? Or is a leg injury (with landing complications) less serious than a shoulder one? I mean, turning and stuff is important but isn’t it the landing part that’s the real sticking point? :slight_smile:

I ask you this here because you didn’t come by for Gonzo so I missed out on seeing you. Enjoy flying this weekend. Try to rest well.

Lewis

It’s the only way I could justify spending even a hundred bucks on a hydraulic brake. I figure, the price of the surgery to fix my leg will be much more than that. It’s preventative medicine!
I love trying to justify buying toys. :wink:

I suck for that; I got distracted by computer access, the Max Daddy showing up in the mail, and a loathing of adding any more time to the 28 hours of driving I’ll be doing this week end. I ended up just sitting on my laurels and chill’n. Missed ya’ll, just the same.

Ya, there is an inordinate amount of injury potential with a bad landing, and it would be wise to kick back and ‘let the bones mend’… still, if I don’t land down wind, I shouldn’t have to run-out any landings. Did I mention they call me ‘Down-Wind Chris’ for my penchant for setting up my approach the wrong way? Still, I’m Wack-free- it’s amazing how fast you can run when people are watching…

I’ll catch you on the return leg. :wink:

-C

Are you sure?

:slight_smile:

Lewis

Re: Knee braces that restrict extension?

Hey Christopher, any kind of injury in the knees, legs, ankles really bites. Hope you are able to take care of those joints and keep riding.
I know this isn’t what you are looking for, but your quest for a brace reminds me of the one I spent three months with.
The brace pictured was worn in the locked position with 0 degrees of extention, but it was adjustable. It would be a real bear to ride with. This picture is significant because it is my first time sitting upright in a chair a week or two after my injury. Up to this point I spent all my time either in bed or horizontal on the sofa.

Re: Knee braces that restrict extension?

The only braces I know of that can be adjusted this way are the CTI/CTI-2 and the newer 3DFX(?) braces. These need to be prescribed and they’re expensive. I have an older CTI that is adjusted to take off 10 degrees of extension.

I feel your pain and I guess this is a good time to mention that I’m only a week and a half away from an ACL knee reconstruction and bone shaving (Jason pauses to wince). I’ll soon have my last Muni ride for SIX to SEVEN MONTHS!!! During that time I’ll be in physical theropy trying like a mad man to get back on my feet (err uni) again.

My advice is ‘take it easy’. Most minor knee problems such as a slight hyper extension or minor cart. damage take around six weeks or so to heal. I know six weeks sounds like a long time but it beats the heck out of six months. Get well soon Chris!

Cheers,
Jason